Hackensack, Lodi make bulletproof vests mandatory for cops

By MONSY ALVARADO

STAFF WRITER |

The Record

Hackensack and Lodi patrol officers will soon be required to wear bulletproof vests while on duty.

The new policy in Hackensack will go into effect on June 1 when officers will begin wearing their summer uniforms, said Capt. Tomas Padilla, the acting officer in charge of the 111-member police department.

There is no date set for Lodi officers to begin wearing their armor, Deputy Chief Vincent Quatrone said, but it will be in the next few months. He said department officials are still rewriting the policy, and coordinating with vendors to supply the vests for the officers who don't have them. There are 40 officers in the department.

Both Padilla and Quatrone said the safety of officers was the driving factor in changing their policies.

"It's a trend you are going to see throughout. It's a safety issue and anything we can do to enhance the safety of officers we will do," Padilla said.

Quatrone said shootings involving police officers in Paramus and Washington Township in the last few months also led Police Chief Vincent Caruso to look at the issue.

"I think a lot of agencies are reacting to an upswing and spike in police-related shootings," Quatrone said. "It's becoming more prevalent, unfortunately, and chiefs and police administrators are trying to take proactive steps to ensure the safety of their people."

In February, Paramus Police Officer Rachel Morgan was shot twice after she tried to pull over a driver with fictitious license plates. Morgan, who is recovering, was wearing body armor that night, but one bullet entered her from the back, under her vest, according to Bergen County Prosecutor John Molinelli.

Last month, several officers responding to a disturbance at a home in Washington Township were shot at by a man holding a rifle. No officers were injured, but the man, Robert Ellis of Ridgewood, was fatally shot by police, according to county authorities. That matter remains under investigation, authorities said.

Hackensack and Lodi are among several North Jersey towns likely to change their policies this year.

The U.S. Department of Justice, which awards millions to law enforcement agencies to purchase the armor under its Bulletproof Vest Partnership, announced this year that departments applying for funds in fiscal year 2011 must have a written mandatory-wear policy for all uniformed officers.

Several Bergen and Passaic County police departments have benefited from the funds. The vests can cost from $700 to more than $1,000 each.

In Hackensack and Lodi, it has been left up to officers to decide if they want to wear the vests. Hackensack provides the vests to all officers. The Lodi Police Department has provided them only to officers who have indicated that they are interested in wearing them, Quatrone said.

Under the new policies, Quatrone and Padilla said anyone who is not assigned to patrol and who may spend more time at headquarters will still be required to have their vests handy in case of emergencies.

Several law enforcement agencies in North Jersey already have a policy mandating vests, including Fort Lee, Garfield, Teaneck and Ridgefield.

Hackensack, Lodi make bulletproof vests mandatory for cops

By MONSY ALVARADO

STAFF WRITER |

The Record

Hackensack and Lodi patrol officers will soon be required to wear bulletproof vests while on duty.

The new policy in Hackensack will go into effect on June 1 when officers will begin wearing their summer uniforms, said Capt. Tomas Padilla, the acting officer in charge of the 111-member police department.

There is no date set for Lodi officers to begin wearing their armor, Deputy Chief Vincent Quatrone said, but it will be in the next few months. He said department officials are still rewriting the policy, and coordinating with vendors to supply the vests for the officers who don't have them. There are 40 officers in the department.

Both Padilla and Quatrone said the safety of officers was the driving factor in changing their policies.

"It's a trend you are going to see throughout. It's a safety issue and anything we can do to enhance the safety of officers we will do," Padilla said.

Quatrone said shootings involving police officers in Paramus and Washington Township in the last few months also led Police Chief Vincent Caruso to look at the issue.

"I think a lot of agencies are reacting to an upswing and spike in police-related shootings," Quatrone said. "It's becoming more prevalent, unfortunately, and chiefs and police administrators are trying to take proactive steps to ensure the safety of their people."

In February, Paramus Police Officer Rachel Morgan was shot twice after she tried to pull over a driver with fictitious license plates. Morgan, who is recovering, was wearing body armor that night, but one bullet entered her from the back, under her vest, according to Bergen County Prosecutor John Molinelli.

Last month, several officers responding to a disturbance at a home in Washington Township were shot at by a man holding a rifle. No officers were injured, but the man, Robert Ellis of Ridgewood, was fatally shot by police, according to county authorities. That matter remains under investigation, authorities said.

Hackensack and Lodi are among several North Jersey towns likely to change their policies this year.

The U.S. Department of Justice, which awards millions to law enforcement agencies to purchase the armor under its Bulletproof Vest Partnership, announced this year that departments applying for funds in fiscal year 2011 must have a written mandatory-wear policy for all uniformed officers.

Several Bergen and Passaic County police departments have benefited from the funds. The vests can cost from $700 to more than $1,000 each.

In Hackensack and Lodi, it has been left up to officers to decide if they want to wear the vests. Hackensack provides the vests to all officers. The Lodi Police Department has provided them only to officers who have indicated that they are interested in wearing them, Quatrone said.

Under the new policies, Quatrone and Padilla said anyone who is not assigned to patrol and who may spend more time at headquarters will still be required to have their vests handy in case of emergencies.

Several law enforcement agencies in North Jersey already have a policy mandating vests, including Fort Lee, Garfield, Teaneck and Ridgefield.